Murdoch denies he knew scale of phone-hacking practices

Nov 10, 2011, 12:55 GMT

London - New International chief James Murdoch denied Thursday that he was aware of the extent of phone-hacking practices at News of the World, saying two former executives at the newspaper had misled a British parliamentary committee investigating the scandal.

'I believe this committee was given evidence by individuals either without full possession of the facts, or now it appears in the process of my own discovery... it was economical,' Murdoch told members of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, where he gave evidence for the second time.

He was referring to former News of the World editor Colin Myler and legal chief Tom Crone, who had said that Murdoch was aware as long ago as 2008 that phone-hacking was not limited to just one reporter at News of the World.

'Certainly in the evidence they gave to you in 2011 in regard to my own knowledge, I believe it was inconsistent and not right, and I dispute it vigorously,' added Murdoch, the son of News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch.

Lawmaker Tom Watson responded, 'Mr. Murdoch, you're the first mafia boss in history to not know he was running a criminal enterprise.'

News International closed the News of the World in July, after it emerged that the Sunday paper had illegally tapped the mobile phone of a murdered schoolgirl.